Adjustable strap connector



1956 J. A. GAYLORD ADJUSTABLE STRAP CONNECTOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledNov. 18, 1964 INVENTOR. JOHN A- 6A YL 0/?0 gem,

A T TOR/VEY Dec. 27, 1966 .1. A. GAYLORD 3,293,713

ADJUSTABLE STRAP CONNECTOR Filed Nov. 18, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 JOHN A.6A YLO/PO ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,293,713 ADJUSTABLE STRAPCONNECTOR John A. Gaylord, San Rafael, Califi, assignor to H. Koch &Sons Inc., Corte Madera, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Nov.18, 1964, Ser. No. 411,982 Claims. (Cl. 24-196) This invention relatesto belt or strap connectors.

Particularly it is the object of the invention to provide an adjustablefastener for harness webbing and the like wherein the connector isutilized to adjustably secure the free end of the hardness webbing so asto fit or rig the harness to objects of various shapes and sizes.

The connector herein may be combined with other devices advantageouslywherein adjustable tightness of connection is required.

An object of the invention is to provide a locking member in suchconnector which is surrounded by the web, threaded through the connectorframe and around said locking member so that the load exerted on theconnector tilts the locking member to firmly press the free end portionof the web against the connector frame and prevent slipping of the webas long as the connector is subjected to such load.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a tilting, lockingmember in a connector combined with resilient means to urge the lockingmember toward the end of the frame and against the webbing.

I am aware that some changes may be made in the general arrangements andcombinations of the several devices and parts, as well as in the detailsof the construction thereof without departing from the scope of thepresent invention as set forth in the following specification, and asdefined in the following claims; hence I do not limit my invention tothe exact arrangements and combinations of the said device and parts asdescribed in the said specification, nor do I confine myself to theexact details of the construction of the said parts as illustrated inthe accompanying drawings.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be mademanifest in the following detailed description, reference is had to theaccompanying drawings for the illustrative embodiment of the invention,wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the connector.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the connector with the resilient means shownin section.

FIG. 3 is .a developed view of the parts of the connector.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of an enlarged scale of the connector showingthe web in released position for adjustment.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the connector on an enlarged scale showingthe connector under load, the tilting of the locking member beingsomewhat exaggerated.

The parts of the connector, as shown on FIG. 3, include a generallyrectangular frame 1 which has vertical sides 2 connected by a transverseend 3, a top transverse end 4 and an intermediate cross bar 6, spacedbetween the ends.

A locking member 7 extends transversely between the top end 4 and thecross bar 6. The locking member 7 is generally U-shaped and it has anelongated groove or recess 8 along its entire length formed between alower longitudinal wall 9 and a higher longitudinal wall 11.

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The ends of the walls 9 and 11 extend beyond the ends of the recess 8 soas to slidably straddle the respective vertical sides 2 of the frame 1.The inner faces of the walls 9 and 11 are tapered or rounded outwardlyaway from the recess 8 so as to facilitate the tilting and lockingaction of the locking member. The space 12 between the ends of the walls9 and 11 is wider than the thickness of the adjacent vertical frame side2 for facilitating the tilting and locking action of the locking member7.

From each end of each wall 9 and 11 extends downwardly an abutmentflange13 and the bottom of the recess 8 is also flanged downwardly between theflanges 13 so as to define a channel 14 along the underside of thelocking member 7 to accommodate a web 16 between the flanges 13 as shownin FIGS. 1, 4 and 5.

The resilient urging means includes a saddle 17 which fits over thecross bar 6, spaced parallel flanges 18 projecting from the top of thesaddle 17, a double coil spring 19 nested between said flanges 18, and agenerally U-shaped follower 21 inverted and slidably fitting over theflanges 18 of the saddle 17 and also over the sides of the saddle 17 andresting on the spring 19. The free ends 22 of the coil spring 19 bearagainst the top wall of the follower 21 normally to urge it away fromthe cross bar 6 and toward the locking member 7. The top wall 23 of thefollower 21 has .a rectangular recess 24 in each end thereof whichrecesses slidably straddle the respective vertical frame sides 2. Thusthe ends of the top wall 23 of the follower 21 bear against the loweredges of the abutment flanges 13. In this manner the locking member 7 isunder resilient pressure at all times yet the web 16 is free to movebetween the follower 21 and the locking member 7 through the channel 14.

In operation the free side 26 of the web is threaded between thefollower 21 and the locking member 7 from under the higher wall 11through the channel 14 then upwardly and around the lower wall 9 andback under the top end 4 of the frame 1 and then under the captive sideof the web 16. The top end 4 of the frame 1 is tapered inwardly of theframe, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, so t-hatthe sides 27 thereof convergetoward the recess 18 in the locking member 7.

Another web 28 or other load bearing element is connected to the frame 1to pull oppositely to the captive side of the web 16. For instance, theweb 28 is doubled on itself around the lower frame end 3 and it isstitched into a loop.

When the frame 1 is under load, namely pull is exerted on the lower end3 and on the captive side of the web 16, then the pull exerted by suchload forces the captive side of the web against the outer rounded lowercorner 29 of the higher wall 11 and tilts the locking member 7 from theposition shown in FIG. 4 substantially to the angle shown in FIG. 5 soas to tilt the higher wall 11 toward the adjacent side of the top end 4.As a result, as long as the connector is under load exerting pull inopposite di rections on opposite ends of the frame 1, the inner top edge31 of the higher wall 11 presses against the adjacent portion of thefree side 26 of the web and tightly grips the web between the taperedside of the top end 4 and the inner top edge 31 of the higher wall 11.The greater the load the tighter the gripping becomes so that slippingof the web is positively prevented.

In order to adjust the length of the web 16, the load is relieved on theframe 1, or the frame is held in hand so as to relieve the load, and bypulling on the free side 26 of the web, the force exerted on the lowercorner of thelower wall-9 tilts the locking member 7 in clockwisedirection viewing FIG. 5 so as to allow freeing of the web.

If it is desirable to loosen the web, then the frame 1 is 'held torelieve the pull on the web 16 and then the captive end of the web ispulled through the channel 14 so as to lengthen it. During all theseoperations the bottoms of the flanges 13 are engaged by the respectiveends of the top wall 23 of the follower 21 so as to resiliently urgedthe locking member 7 toward the top end 4 of the frame 1.

I claim:

1. Anadjustable connector for harness webbing and the like, comprising,

a. a frame,

b. sides and transverse frame members of said frame defining a webreceiving opening in said frame,

c. a web gripping member extending across said frame parallel with oneof said transverse frame members adjacent to said web gripping member,

(I. a pair of spaced parallel walls along said web gripping membersdefining a recess therebetween facing said adjacent transverse framemember,

e. one of said parallel walls being a higher Wall and the other being alower wall along said web gripping member, whereby when the'captive sideof said web is played around the outside of said higher wall and undersaid web gripping member and around the outside 'of said lower wall, andthe free side of said web is inserted around-the top of said lower wall,across said recess and then between the top of said highr wall and saidadjacent transverse frame member and out along the captive side of theweb, then the pull of the load on said web exerts a grip-ping forceagainst the lower portion of said higher wall, thereby to tilt said webgripping member transversely and press said higher wall against saidadjacent transverse frame member for gripping the free side of the webwith a force proportionate to the load on said captive side of the web,and f. resilient follower means in said frame normally to urge said webgripping member toward said adjacent transverse frame member,

. the sides of said adjacent transverse frame member converging towardsaid recess between said pair of spaced parallel walls.

2. The connector device defined in claim 1, and

h. flanges extending beyond ends of said Web gripping member straddlingthe respective frame sides for slidably' and tilta'bly guiding said webgripping member, I

i. spacer abutments projecting from said flanges, and

j. guide means on said resilient means engaging said frame sides andabutting said abut-ments for providing a space between saidabutments forthe web.

3. An adjustable connector for webbing and the like,

comprising,

a. a frame,

l). sides and ends of the frame defining a web receiving opening in saidframe,

0. a web gripping member extending across said frame parallel with theadjacent end of the frame and being slideably held on said sides,

(1. said web gripping member being of generally U- shaped cross section,the space between the side walls thereof being wider than the thicknessof said adjacent end of the frame, and the recess formed in said spacebetween the side walls of said U-shaped member facing toward saidadjacent end of the frame,

e. one side wall of said U-shaped member being higher than the other,whereby when the captive side of said web is played around the outsideof the higher side wall and under said gripping member and around theother side wall, and the free side of said web is inserted over saidother side wall and across said recess between said gripping member andsaid adjacent end of the frame, and finally out along said captive sideof the web, then the pull on the captive side of the web tilts saidgripping member thereby to tilt said higher side wall to grip the webagainst said adjacent end.

4. The adjusting connector defined in claim 3, and

. a follower element extending across said frame and being slidablealong said sides of said frame,

g. resilient means to urge said follower element toward said grippingmember, and

h. coacting abutment portions on the ends of said gripping member andsaid follower element to space the portion of said web gripping memberbetween said sides of said frame from the adjacent portion of saidfollower element and form a space for inserting the web.

5. The adjusting connect-or defined in claim 4, and

. a cross brace across said frame between said sides of said frame, asaddle on the cross brace, and

. a longitudinal pocket on the top of said saddle, said follower elementstraddling said pocket,

1. said resilient means being a coil spring nested in said pocket andbearing against said follower element to urge said follower elementtoward said gripping member. I

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/ 1920 GreatBritain.

WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

E. SIMONSEN, Assistant Examiner.

3. AN ADJUSTABLE CONNECTOR FOR WEBBING AND THE LIKE, COMPRISING, (A) AFRAME, (B) SIDES AND ENDS OF THE FRAME DEFINING A WEB RECEIVING OPENINGIN SAID FRAME, (C) A WEB GRIPPING MEMBER EXTENDING ACROSS SAID FRAMEPARALLEL WITH THE ADJACENT END OF THE FRAME AND BEING SLIDEABLY HELD ONSAID SIDES, (D) SAID WEB GRIPPING MEMBER BEING OF GENERALLY USHAPEDCROSS SECTION, THE SPACE BETWEEN THE SIDE WALLS THEREOF BEING WIDER THANTHE THICKNESS OF SAID ADJACENT END OF THE FRAME, AND THE RECESS FORMEDIN SAID SPACE BETWEEN THE SIDE WALLS OF SAID U-SHAPED MEMBER FACINGTOWARD SAID ADJACENT END OF THE FRAME, (E) ONE SIDE WALL OF SAIDU-SHAPED MEMBER BEING HIGHER THAN THE OTHER, WHEREBY WHEN THE CAPTIVESIDE OF SAID WEB IS PLAYED AROUND THE OUTSIDE OF THE HIGHER SIDE WALLAND UNDER SAID GRIPPING MEMBER AND AROUND THE OTHER SIDE WALL, AND THEFREE SIDE OF SAID WEB IS INSERTED OVER SAID OTHER SIDE WALL AND ACROSSSAID RECESS BETWEEN SAID GRIPPING MEMBER AND SAID ADJACENT END OF THEFRAME, AND FINALLY OUT ALONG SAID CAPTIVE SIDE OF THE WEB, THEN THE PULLON THE CAPTIVE SIDE OF THE WEB TILTS SAID GRIPPING MEMBER THEREBY TOTILT SAID HIGHER SIDE WALL TO GRIP THE WEP AGAINST SAID ADJACENT END.